Archive for December, 2009

Smartphones are advancing more and more each year. Just a decade ago, no one could imagine that phones could ever incorporate 3rd party applications and video chat. Smartphone users have definitely heard of speech to text applications but Cornell University Researchers decided to take it all a step further by developing a system where deaf people could communicate through phone via sign language. The technology for such a device was created four years ago by Mobile ASL (American Sign Language) and a prototype wasn’t created until last year, but they got it done, and it is now being used on 25 deaf people in Seattle, Washington. More »

Cisco is beginning to tap into a new market, away from networking devices and wireless routers. Their latest piece of tech is the Cisco FlipShare TV, which streams video from your PC straight to your HDTV, so you don’t have to frustrate yourself, squinting at a small little monitor. The entire FlipShare TV system comes in 3 parts, a USB dongle for sending the signal to your PC, a handy remote control, and then there is the main device which acts like a standard cable TV box in order to deliver the signal from the dongle to your TV and is fitted with an HDMI port as well as standard RCA ports for AV. More »

Sony is gaining some media attention with their latest decision to film the FIFA World Cup in Johannesburg, and since this is a big event internationally, what better way is there to watch it in HD, right? Well, Sony has decided to do you one better and make the entire World Cup play in 3D. You can imagine just how big something like this really is. No sporting event has ever been shot in 3D, nothing as big as a World Cup. More »

Is Nokia finally hitting a wall or are they realizing that one big product can do wonders ala the iPhone? Nokia announced that they’re cutting back the number of smartphones they’ll release in 2010 to half, to roughly around 10. This is a different approach from Nokia, the world’s #1 cell phone manufacturer. Nokia is used to releasing 20+ models of phones but this new approach may give them more time to focus on the details of their smartphone division, which is the growing at a rapid pace across the globe.

While it’s definitely a new approach for Nokia, it’s definitely the right path to go. Apple has shown us that you don’t need multiple models to become success. More »

The Mac Mini might be getting some competition from a manufacturer named Compulab. The PC is the Fit PC and is only 4-inches long and one inch tall. The PC also weighs 13-ounces, making it one of the lightest PC’s in the market. The weight is due to the PC’s aluminum body. But those aren’t just the benefits of this mini PC, it also runs Windows 7 and plays 1080p HD video.

The extremely light PC runs an Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz, or Atom Z510 1.1GHz processor, your choice. It may be giving the Mac Mini some competition, considering it’ll run Windows 7 and play HDe) video, which the Mini is incapable of doing. PC’s can trump Mac products…(more pics after the break). More »

Smartphones and gadgets are made to make our lives easier, connect with the world during our every move. But one guy took it to another level. Dana Hanna, pulled out his phone during his wedding ceremony and changed his Facebook status to “married”. Of course his wife followed suit and did the same. The best about about the whole thing? The preacher, who had this to say: “If it’s official on Facebook, it’s official in my book.” Niceeeeee.

Not sure if that’s the best way to go about it, who’s reading your status anyway? I mean you’re friend should be at the ceremony right? Either way, it’s another weird Facebook story and I’m sure we’ll have many more to come. Check out the video below:

Portable music is great, especially if you are having a get together outside, then wireless speakers really come in handy. Nothing seems to stand up to the quality of these SoundMatters Portable foxL V2 Bluetooth speakers. It’s as simple as adding a bluetooth headset, just turn on the speakers and look for it to pop up on your phone’s device list, just click it once and you’re paired up to play music! The 3X Bluetooth range makes sure that the user doesn’t have to worry about range, having the freedom to control music from over 90 ft. away. More »

The Wii and the iPhone came together a few weeks back, allowing certain games to be controlled on the iPhone using it’s built in Bluetooth support (which came after upgraded OS 3.0). This was all part of the “BTStack” project which was built to use the iPhone’s bluetooth in order to perform actions with MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) that it cannot do, under Apple’s tent of course. ZodTTD is the one who is famous for his jailbreak community, designing this amazing software, extending the iPhone’s features by an amazing stretch. More »

Looks like Nintendo is up to something. Nintendo’s two biggest manufacturer’s, Mitsumi and Hosiden, are seeing orders drop for the Nintendo Wiis. This could simply mean that we’ll be seeing upgraded Wiis in the near future.

Nintendo has to update the Wii sometime soon. The software on the Wii is getting ancient while the games continue to bring in people of all ages. In order to compete in the HD world that we live in today, Nintendo will have to upgrade their graphics on the console to provide HD video. Without an HD Wii, not many will be buying the new console. If Nintendo comes out with an HD version of their Wii system, they can rake in money like they did when the Wii was first released. More »

Acer, the people who brought us excellent netbooks, are now planning to introduce the Chrome OS in their upcoming netbooks, starting in mid-2010. While that’s a long way off, it’s a sign that Microsoft is already starting to get competition in the netbook department and they have a lot to worry about.

Acer is planning to become the first netbook manufacturer to do this and most likely won’t be the last. From what we’ve seen in the Chrome OS, it’s perfect for netbooks and low powered machines. Chrome OS will be a viable alternative for many PC fans as the cost of netbooks will be lowered due to Manufacturer’s no longer having to pay Microsoft a Windows tax.

Can’t wait for some of the other manufacturers to join in and give MS some competition.

You know what TomTom has that Google Maps Navigation doesn’t? Snoop. D. O. Double G. Voice Skins, the same company that brought Homer Simpson to the world of turn-by-turn, paid tha cost to hire da boss himself, which is now available for $12.95 and compatible with all TomTom devices. The Doggfather telling us how to get to Taco Bell? Let’s face it, sharp lefts really are so fly. Crank up the bass, videos are after the break. More »

Samsung is stamping out one phone after another, but it seems that each time, it is targeted towards a different group of people. This time around, Samsung has released two new phones targeted towards women. Samsung’s new Diva Collection brings two new models to the product line, the Diva S7070 and Diva Folder S5150. To start off, both phones have a built in feature called the “beauty effect” that spruces up images snapped right on the 3.2 megapixel camera before being uploaded to Social Networking sites. SMS notifications, SOS Alerts, and Wish Lists can also be sent to your phone to give you alerts about everything on your phone, almost like an invisible dashboard. More »

ZiiLABS has always been known for its odd smartphones and PMPs, running on multiple software and their famous Plaszma platform. Well, their latest concept creation, the Trinity, supports both Plaszma and Android which are Linux based in this case. It seems Android is making its debut in many phones, leading with it’s open source capability. Not only does this smartphone have excellent software, but it’s features are something that would create some buzz. More »

Inductive charging is becoming popular in the tech world. The Wii is the latest gadget to get inductive charging with its new Energizer Flat Panel 2X which uses the rechargeable battery inside your remote as a hub to store energy from the Flat Panel 2X. The NiMH battery packs goes right into the Wii controller and is magnetized to align with the special charging area on the black pad. The last time we saw something that included inductive charging was the Powermat charging system for iPhone, Blackberry, and Nintendo DS (maybe they’ll switch over later). More »

Sony has a lot to be thankful for this past Thanksgiving. According to new numbers, Sony sold over 440,000 Playstation 3 consoles. That’s a great weekend for Sony and it’s being propelled by the lower cost of the PS3, from over $500 a year ago to $299 now.
More »

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